B. R. Heyn
Encyclopedia
Major General
Bertram Russell Heyn, idc
, psc, CLI (October 1, 1912—February 3, 1998) was a Sri Lanka
n general
and a cricketer
. He was a former Commander of the Ceylon Army
.
team at Royal College, debuting in 1930 and played in the Royal-Thomian
. He played for the Ceylon cricket team and his most famous feat was getting Sir
Donald Bradman
out on his last appearance in Colombo
, in an unofficial Test match
between Australia
and All-Ceylon on 27 March 1948. Bradman was able to score only 20 runs before being caught out by R.L. de Kretser off Heyn's bowling. Heyn also played hockey. He was graduated from the Staff College, Camberley
and the Imperial Defence College.
in the Ceylon Light Infantry before World War II
, by the end of the war he was a Captain. When the Ceylon Army was formed in 1949 he was commissioned as a Major
in the regular force. In the early 1950s he took command of the Ceylon Light Infantry with as a Lieutenant Colonel
.
Promoted to the rank of Brigadier
he was serving as chief of staff
of the army, when in 1962 an attempted military coup
took place. The following year the army commander was forced to retire and Colonel
A.R. Udugama was appointed as army commander by passing the more senior Brigadier Heyn, even thou he wasn't involved in the coup. On 11 November 1966 he was appointed Commander of the Ceylon Army
and promoted to the rank of Major General
. He held the post till his retirement in 30 September 1967.
For wartime service, he had earned the War Medal 1939–1945
, and for service in the Ceylon Army, he received the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal
, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
and the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal
.
. Richard represented Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) at Field Hockey and played Cricket at top-grade club level. David represented Sri Lanka at Cricket and played Field Hockey at top-grade club level.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Bertram Russell Heyn, idc
IDC
-Businesses and organizations:* Industrial Development Corporation, also known as Castle Grande, an Arkansas company involved in the Whitewater political controversy* Interactive Data Corporation , a financial services company...
, psc, CLI (October 1, 1912—February 3, 1998) was a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and a cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
. He was a former Commander of the Ceylon Army
Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)
Commander of the Army is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya...
.
Education and Cricketing career
Educated at Royal College, Colombo, he played for the cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team at Royal College, debuting in 1930 and played in the Royal-Thomian
Royal-Thomian
The Royal–Thomian , the annual cricket match between Royal College, Colombo and S...
. He played for the Ceylon cricket team and his most famous feat was getting Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
out on his last appearance in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, in an unofficial Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and All-Ceylon on 27 March 1948. Bradman was able to score only 20 runs before being caught out by R.L. de Kretser off Heyn's bowling. Heyn also played hockey. He was graduated from the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
and the Imperial Defence College.
Military career
He was joined the Ceylon Defence Force and was commissioned as a Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Ceylon Light Infantry before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, by the end of the war he was a Captain. When the Ceylon Army was formed in 1949 he was commissioned as a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the regular force. In the early 1950s he took command of the Ceylon Light Infantry with as a Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
Promoted to the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
he was serving as chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the army, when in 1962 an attempted military coup
Attempted military coup in Ceylon, 1962
The 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt was a failed military coup planned in Sri Lanka . Several Christian senior military and policy officers planned to topple the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mrs...
took place. The following year the army commander was forced to retire and Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
A.R. Udugama was appointed as army commander by passing the more senior Brigadier Heyn, even thou he wasn't involved in the coup. On 11 November 1966 he was appointed Commander of the Ceylon Army
Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)
Commander of the Army is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya...
and promoted to the rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
. He held the post till his retirement in 30 September 1967.
For wartime service, he had earned the War Medal 1939–1945
War Medal 1939–1945
The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
, and for service in the Ceylon Army, he received the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal
Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal
The Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal was a service medal of Ceylon from 1968 to 1972. It was granted to all ranks of the Regular Forces of the Ceylon Army, Royal Ceylon Navy and Royal Ceylon Air Force, who complete 12 years service as defined in the regulations of the respective warrants...
, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to...
and the Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal
Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal
The Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal was awarded to members of the Ceylon armed services who served during specified periods in 1949-1951 during its establishment.-External links:***-References:...
.
Later life
In his later years he managed the Sri Lanka cricket team and served as the head of the Cricket Board, as well as on the Sri Lanka Olympic Council.Family
General Heyn and his wife Edna had two sons, Richard and DavidDavid Heyn
Peter David Heyn is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played 18 unofficial tests from 1966 to 1976, and two ODIs in the World Cup 1975. Heyn is widely regarded as one of the best cover point fielders ever to represent Sri Lanka....
. Richard represented Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) at Field Hockey and played Cricket at top-grade club level. David represented Sri Lanka at Cricket and played Field Hockey at top-grade club level.